


I Met Him By the Ocean

by CrackerJacc



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Fisherman Connor, Fishing, How Do I Tag, Loneliness, M/M, Ocean, Pirate Captain Hank, Rating for later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 12:06:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19463641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrackerJacc/pseuds/CrackerJacc
Summary: Connor Stern was nothing but a lonely fisherman in a lonely town, with only the waves to keep him company.





	I Met Him By the Ocean

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JordanTheNoodle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JordanTheNoodle/gifts).



> Just a short thing to get the juices flowing, guuci 
> 
> For Jordan, who I want to explore the world with one day ❤️  
> You can be my hunky pirate b 😩😩👌

Connor Stern was a lonely fisherman in a lonely town, and that’s all he’d ever be. But he was ok with it. His two younger brothers had gone off to god knows where to do something with themselves, but Connor much preferred the sound of the ocean waves hitting against the rocky shores and splashing up against his old dock, foaming and licking at his toes. It was so peaceful, Connor’s little house. He’d built it himself, a modest cabin on the shore, with everything he could need inside. There was a small town a few miles away that Connor would go to sell his fish. It was one of those places where everybody knew everybody and outsiders were almost unheard of. Connor supposed he liked it that way. 

His favorite time to fish was dusk, when the sun was setting and casting the most gorgeous orange glow on the waves. He leaned out over the railing of his boat and breathed in the fresh ocean air with a sigh. The small ship rocked with the gentle waves, net cast out below.  
Connor stared out towards the setting sun. The clouds seemed to glow with an array of pinks and oranges. It was times like this that Connor wished he could paint, because this is what would be on his canvas. 

The man waited a few more minuites before walking back to the main deck to reel in the net, grunting with the effort. He strained as he pulled it up and over the side and onto his ship. Various sorts of fish flopped around, Connor beginning to pick through them, tossing back the too small ones or ones that nobody would eat. He watched them gain their bearings in the water and then swim away. He wondered where they would go in such a vast ocean, or if they would stay put like Connor had been doing. It was almost a sad thought to have. These fish could go anywhere they wanted with their only concern being food, the ocean their limit.  
And then he looked back to his boat, to the creatures that were flopping around on his deck, gasping for air. It was the end of the line for them. They didn’t get a second chance like the others. 

Connor sighed, opening up the hatch in his deck and tossing the fish inside. Afterwards he cast his net back out and wandered back over to the front of his ship to stare out into the glowing abyss. 

But something in front of the sun caught his eye. A figure, a silhouette of what looked like another ship. Connor’s puppy brown eyes squinted as he tried to make it out. A trading ship, perhaps? No, in all his years living on this shore he’s never seen another ship. Besides, the town kept to themselves. Nobody traded with them.  
Maybe they were lost. Maybe they’d read the stars wrong or lost their compas, maybe a big storm had thrown them greatly off course. Connor sighed, leaning with his elbow on the railing and his cheek in his hand. He couldn’t tell if the ship was coming closer or not, so he decided to ignore it for now and get back to work. 

After an hour or so Connor had nearly forgotten about the silhouette of the ship before the setting sun. He had reeled his net in for the last time about twenty minutes ago and was now lying on the top of his ship so he could gaze up at the stars, tracing shapes into them with a finger. Maybe some of them were planets. Maybe some of them were galaxies so far away they looked like single points in the sky.  
Connor smiled, hand resting back on his stomach. He knew he couldn’t stay out here all night. It would hurt his back if he fell asleep up here. 

He sat up and stretched, wincing when a few bones popped, when something further down the shore caught his eye. A few small dinghies were making their way towards the land, and when Connor’s eyes slowly trailed back to where they were coming from he nearly fell off his boat. How had he not noticed it before? The ship was huge, making his own tiny fishing boat seem like just a rock in the water. The sails were down, showing off tall masts, and at the end of the tallest was a waving black flag bearing a skull and crossbones. 

_Pirates!_

Connor had never seen them with his own eyes but stories were often told in the town, stories of savage men and women on ships that came to pillage and kill, who left nothing but destruction wherever they went. Connor’s heart was pounding as he climbed back onto the deck to head for shore. He had to warn them, someone. 

Connor quickly docked, scrambling off his boat and gasping in fear, covering his mouth. The pirates had made it before him. They were singing happily as they stomped over the rocky shore, heading right to Connor’s house. Some had muskets, some had bottles in their hand. And of _course_ they’d seen him dock. 

“You there!” 

Connor froze. The smart thing to do would’ve been to get his ass back on his boat and try and escape, but he couldn’t move as the band of savages began jogging over to him. It was only when they were close enough for Connor to see their grizzled faces and smell alcohol that he started to run to his house, hoping to lock himself inside. 

“Hey- get ‘em!” 

Fear made Connor’s veins ice cold, shuddering as he ran as fast as he could. He heard a bang, the sand next to his foot kicking up as the bullet just barely missed him. But it spooked Connor enough to where he cried out, tumbling down to curl up in the sand and rocks. He covered his head with his arms, whimpering when he heard their boots crunching closer. 

“You there. Got anything to offer fer your own life?” The man’s voice was husky and growling, Connor starting to cry. He uncovered his face to look up at them. A gun was pointed at him, sending primal fear down his spine. He was going to die here.

“Speak boy!” The order was barked out like Connor was a disobedient dog. 

“N-no! No, I h-have nothing! I’m just a poor fisherman a-and I have nothing to offer that’s of any value!” He sobbed. The pirates snickered, and Connor closed his eyes when he heard the gun click. 

“Hey, what do ya have there?” 

It was a different voice, Connor whimpering and looking up. Another pirate was walking over, but he obviously had authority since everyone else immediately stood to attention. He looked older than the others, with long silver hair up in a messy bun and a scruffy beard. He had a musket as well, though it wasn’t drawn, merely resting in the belt on his hip. 

“Captain! Found this lubber jus’ comin’ home, he ain’t got nothin’ to give so I was gonna waste ‘em.” The man about to shoot Connor was talking happily. He had a bandana that mostly covered his hair, a big scar on the bridge of his nose. He didn’t have a beard, rather a shadow on his jaw like he’d recently woken up.  
The captain scowled, making his way next to the man and looking down at Connor, who frantically hid his face again. 

“Gimme that,” the captain said. Connor braced himself when he heard the gun shifting, squeaking in fear when he heard the bang of it being fired. 

“Aye, what’d you do that fer!” 

Connor peeked out from his arms. The captain had fired the musket off to the distance, shoving it back to the man’s chest and kneeling down in front of Connor. 

“What’s yer name, lad?” 

Connor swallowed thickly, afraid to speak. 

“C-C-Connor...” he winced when his voice cracked and wavered, clearing his throat. “Stern. Connor S-Stern.” 

The captain rubbed his beard almost thoughtfully before standing. He turned to face the group. “This boy has nothing ta offer, so he’s gonna offer ‘imself.” He looked down at Connor then. “Come with us in exchange for yer life.” 

Connor’s teary eyes widened. He couldn’t, could he? He couldn’t join a band of pirates, no way!

“It’ll be fun, lad! We go all over the world, ‘nd do as we please!” An Asian looking woman said, raising her bottle. A few others voiced their agreement.  
“We steal from the rich!”  
“We own these waters!” 

They began singing like they had when they’d shown up, dancing around each other and laughing. The man with the scar on his nose stayed out of it, looking grumpy. Connor looked back up at the captain. 

“It’s join us or die, lad. We can’t ‘ave someone go off and blabber ‘bout us.” 

Connor swallowed, watching as the man held out his hand. Connor gently took it. It was rough, with a strong grip. The captain helped Connor to his feet and the boy shakily brushed himself off. He looked to the others, dancing and laughing. That could be him. 

“O-ok... ok, I’ll come with you.” 

The captain broke into a grin, showing off his gap tooth before turning to his crew. 

“Everyone, Connor here is comin’ with us!” 

Connor blushed as the crew cheered, some of them slapping his back or shoulders in a friendly way, like they were already friends. 

“Got any belongings ya’ wanna bring?” The captain asked, Connor biting his lip. Now that he thought about it, he really didn’t. He never really had anything that was dear to his heart. It was... a sad thought. 

“N-no sir,” he murmured, the man bellowing out a laugh. Connor blushed, wondering if he’d said something funny.  
“Aw lad, it’s captain Hank ta ya’. We’re gonna make ya a fine buccaneer yet.”

Connor was in a daze as he was led to the dinghies on the far shore, surrounded by these pirates. He looked back at his own now dull looking cabin and boat. Already it seemed in the past.  
Perhaps this was _his_ second chance.


End file.
